Detroit Housing Affordability

Data on affording a home in Detroit, both as a homeowner and renter January 2012 - February 2026.

Includes:

New Homeowner Income Needed: An estimate of the annual household income required to spend less than 30% of monthly income on the total monthly payment after newly purchasing the typical home with a 20% down payment.

New Renter Income Needed: An estimate of the household income required to spend less than 30% of monthly income to newly lease the typical rental.

Affordable Home Price: An estimate of the home price such that the total monthly payment on such a home would not exceed 30% of the median household’s monthly income with a 20% down payment.

Years to Save: A measure of the number of years it would take the median household to save for a 20% down payment on a home, assuming they are able to save 10% of their income into a simple savings account accruing no interest. This is equivalent to the number of years it would take the median household to save for a 10% down payment, assuming a 5% savings rate.

New Homeowner Affordability: A measure of the share of income the median household would spend on a newly purchased home, including its mortgage payment, homeowner’s insurance, property taxes, and maintenance costs. Typically, spending more than 30% of income on housing is considered unaffordable.

New Renter Affordability: A measure of the share of income the median household would spend to newly lease the typical rental. Typically, spending more than 30% of income on housing is considered unaffordable.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source https://www.zillow.com/research/data/
Version 21Mar2026
Last Updated March 21, 2026, 19:11 (UTC)
Created March 21, 2026, 19:08 (UTC)